In a revealing study published in Nature Microbiology, researchers from University College London and Imperial College London elucidated how polymyxin B, a last-resort antibiotic, disrupts bacterial outer membranes through energy-dependent mechanisms, exposing and destroying active gram-negative bacteria. These insights, garnered via high-resolution imaging, demonstrate that dormant bacterial cells evade eradication by suspending membrane synthesis, explaining treatment challenges in persistent infections. This discovery highlights the importance of bacterial metabolic state for antibiotic efficacy, potentially guiding new therapeutic strategies.